“What we need is to change the law, but to change the law we need a functioning ministry. With the state in such turmoil, no one can change the law.”

Precariously located on the edge of Tahrir Square, the museum was nevertheless able to beef up security ahead of the mass weekend protests that has brought the government of Egypt's democratically elected President Mohammed Mursi to its knees.

“We increased the height of the wall one week ago and we added some new cameras,” Dr Ghesi said.

There is no shortage of visitors to Tahrir Square though, the platform for Egypt's opposition movement for the last 30 months.

The first question from the youths manning one barbed-wire checkpoint blocking the main access road into the square: “Are you American?” No? “You sound like an American, passport please.”

Amid the tens of thousands of protesters filling the square, the chants of “Mursi out!” drowned out all other sentiment. Few care what comes next, the only condition on the president's departure was that it happen now.

Far away at Rabah al-Adawayah Square, near the Presidential Palace, an equally boisterous crowd of Mursi supporters could barely contain their rage at the prospect of his being forced from office.

“We are ALL ready to defend our President to the last drop of our blood!,” shouted Hosam Ramadan, a 53-year-old high school teacher from a small town near Alexandria who drove to Cairo two days ago to stand by the president.

“Elected, by the people, he has never been given a chance!,” Mr Ramadan said. “How can we have our democracy invalidated by a group of people who complain? We will not give in to this thuggery.”